INTRODUCTION
The relation of mineral intake to a malnutrition of cattle
in Florida, locally called "salt sick", has attracted the attention
of Florida Agricultural Experiment Station workers for 10 years.
The literature concerning "salt sick" has been reviewed in a
previous bulletin (27)'. The following is a summary of the re-
view.
The condition "salt sick" affects many cattle grazing on cer-
tain light sandy soils of Florida. The symptoms are: emaciation,
listlessness, weakness, long rough hair coat, loss of appetite,
lack of growth and retarded sexual development. In 1931, it was
found that the use of ferric ammonium citrate and copper sul-
fate as a drench, or a mineral mixture of 100 pounds of salt, 25
pounds of red oxide of iron and 1 pound of copper sulfate cor-
rected the condition "salt sick" in field trials. The iron and cop-
per in this mixture are in the proportion of 50 to 1. In 1937 co-
balt was found to be another element that was required by cat-
tle on certain areas where the mineral supplement of iron and
copper was ineffective. It is possible that the mineral mixture
of iron and copper found to be effective was contaminated with

Acknowledgements.-Thanks are due to the Florida Agricultural Ex-
periment Station for permission to use a part of the project "Mineral Re-
quirements for Cattle" as thesis material to the Graduate Faculty of the
University of Minnesota; Mr. L. H. Rogers and the staff of the Spectro-
graphic Laboratory of the Station for the spectrographic analyses nec-
essary for this study; and Dr. R. B. Becker and Dr. W. M. Neal of the
Animal Industry Department for assistance in securing experimental
material and helpful criticism during the progress of this work.
'From a thesis submitted by L. L. Rusoff in partial fulfillment of
*he requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Grad-
uate School of the University of Minnesota, June 1940. The experiments
were conducted at the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.
'Doctor L. S. Palmer, major adviser, Division of Agricultural Bio-
Chemistry, University of Minnesota, contributed many valuable sug-
gestions and criticisms during the conduct of the work and the pre-
paration of this manuscript.
"Italic figures in parentheses refer to "Literature Cited" in the back
of this bulletin.

DISTRIBUTION OF "TRACE ELEMENTS" IN THE NEWBORN
CALF AS INFLUENCED BY THE NUTRITION
OF THE DAM'.
By L. L. RUSOFF'

INTRODUCTION
The relation of mineral intake to a malnutrition of cattle
in Florida, locally called "salt sick", has attracted the attention
of Florida Agricultural Experiment Station workers for 10 years.
The literature concerning "salt sick" has been reviewed in a
previous bulletin (27)'. The following is a summary of the re-
view.
The condition "salt sick" affects many cattle grazing on cer-
tain light sandy soils of Florida. The symptoms are: emaciation,
listlessness, weakness, long rough hair coat, loss of appetite,
lack of growth and retarded sexual development. In 1931, it was
found that the use of ferric ammonium citrate and copper sul-
fate as a drench, or a mineral mixture of 100 pounds of salt, 25
pounds of red oxide of iron and 1 pound of copper sulfate cor-
rected the condition "salt sick" in field trials. The iron and cop-
per in this mixture are in the proportion of 50 to 1. In 1937 co-
balt was found to be another element that was required by cat-
tle on certain areas where the mineral supplement of iron and
copper was ineffective. It is possible that the mineral mixture
of iron and copper found to be effective was contaminated with

Acknowledgements.-Thanks are due to the Florida Agricultural Ex-
periment Station for permission to use a part of the project "Mineral Re-
quirements for Cattle" as thesis material to the Graduate Faculty of the
University of Minnesota; Mr. L. H. Rogers and the staff of the Spectro-
graphic Laboratory of the Station for the spectrographic analyses nec-
essary for this study; and Dr. R. B. Becker and Dr. W. M. Neal of the
Animal Industry Department for assistance in securing experimental
material and helpful criticism during the progress of this work.
'From a thesis submitted by L. L. Rusoff in partial fulfillment of
*he requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Grad-
uate School of the University of Minnesota, June 1940. The experiments
were conducted at the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.
'Doctor L. S. Palmer, major adviser, Division of Agricultural Bio-
Chemistry, University of Minnesota, contributed many valuable sug-
gestions and criticisms during the conduct of the work and the pre-
paration of this manuscript.
"Italic figures in parentheses refer to "Literature Cited" in the back
of this bulletin.

DISTRIBUTION OF "TRACE ELEMENTS" IN THE NEWBORN
CALF AS INFLUENCED BY THE NUTRITION
OF THE DAM'.
By L. L. RUSOFF'

INTRODUCTION
The relation of mineral intake to a malnutrition of cattle
in Florida, locally called "salt sick", has attracted the attention
of Florida Agricultural Experiment Station workers for 10 years.
The literature concerning "salt sick" has been reviewed in a
previous bulletin (27)'. The following is a summary of the re-
view.
The condition "salt sick" affects many cattle grazing on cer-
tain light sandy soils of Florida. The symptoms are: emaciation,
listlessness, weakness, long rough hair coat, loss of appetite,
lack of growth and retarded sexual development. In 1931, it was
found that the use of ferric ammonium citrate and copper sul-
fate as a drench, or a mineral mixture of 100 pounds of salt, 25
pounds of red oxide of iron and 1 pound of copper sulfate cor-
rected the condition "salt sick" in field trials. The iron and cop-
per in this mixture are in the proportion of 50 to 1. In 1937 co-
balt was found to be another element that was required by cat-
tle on certain areas where the mineral supplement of iron and
copper was ineffective. It is possible that the mineral mixture
of iron and copper found to be effective was contaminated with

Acknowledgements.-Thanks are due to the Florida Agricultural Ex-
periment Station for permission to use a part of the project "Mineral Re-
quirements for Cattle" as thesis material to the Graduate Faculty of the
University of Minnesota; Mr. L. H. Rogers and the staff of the Spectro-
graphic Laboratory of the Station for the spectrographic analyses nec-
essary for this study; and Dr. R. B. Becker and Dr. W. M. Neal of the
Animal Industry Department for assistance in securing experimental
material and helpful criticism during the progress of this work.
'From a thesis submitted by L. L. Rusoff in partial fulfillment of
*he requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Grad-
uate School of the University of Minnesota, June 1940. The experiments
were conducted at the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.
'Doctor L. S. Palmer, major adviser, Division of Agricultural Bio-
Chemistry, University of Minnesota, contributed many valuable sug-
gestions and criticisms during the conduct of the work and the pre-
paration of this manuscript.
"Italic figures in parentheses refer to "Literature Cited" in the back
of this bulletin.

4 Agricultural Experiment Station
cobalt, or that a deficiency of iron, copper, or cobalt, or a com-
bination of these elements exists on certain pastures. It is now
recognized that there is an overlapping of these deficiencies on
some areas.
The mineral mixture now recommended by the Florida Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station consists of the addition of 1 pound
of cobalt chloride or cobalt sulfate to a ton of the old mineral
mixture of salt, red oxide of iron and copper sulfate (21).
It was found that there was less copper in the soils and less
iron in the forage from affected ("salt sick") areas as compared
with healthy areas (11, 23). The copper content of the forage
from both the healthy and "salt sick" areas showed no significant
differences (28). The only mineral analysis of the organs and
tissues of normal and affected cattle has been made recently
with newborn calves for their copper content (27). No studies
of "trace elements" in the organs and tissues of Florida cattle
have been reported prior to this time.
Since ash samples of the organs and tissues of the newborn
calves used in the copper study were available (27), it seemed
desirable to make a study of their "trace element" content by
means of a spectrographic estimation in order to obtain an in-
dication as to whether any element or elements might be playing
contributory or supplementary roles in "salt sick."
The dams were selected on the basis of their previous nu-
trition as indicated by their physical condition during preg-
nancy and by the history of the range over which they grazed
(27). Initially, a comparison was made with two newborn calves,
E 106 from a normal dam and E 108 from a "salt sick" dam. It
was found that the data for copper obtained from these two ani-
mals was not significant, and two more normal calves, E 123
and E 125, were secured. The organs and tissues usually sampled
were prepared for analysis. Spectrographic estimations of the
mineral content of the samples from the initial two calves were
made first, while samples from the last two calves were analyzed
almost a year later and several months apart. Changes in spectro-
graphic technique make comparisons of either of the latter
calves with the first two less significant than if the samples had
been analyzed concurrently.
The terms "salt sick" calf and "salt sick" organs and tissues
are used throughout this paper for descriptive purposes to desig-
nate the condition of the dam, rather than the actual condition
of the calf.

"Trace Elements" in the Newborn Calf

EXPERIMNETAL METHOD
Four newborn calves were used in this study, three from
normal dams and one from a "salt sick" dam. The slaughter of
the animals, obtaining of the tissues and organs, and the pre-
paration of the ash is presented in a previous bulletin (27). Ex-
treme precautions against contamination with elements were ex-
ercised at all times.
The spectrographic method employed is described else-
where (28, 26). The tissues were analyzed for 27 "trace elements".
The approximate lower limits of detectability of the method are:
0.0001 percent for chromium, cobalt, nickel and silver; 0.001
percent for aluminum, barium, beryllium, boron, lead, manganese,
molybdenum, strontium, tin, titanium, vanadium and zinc; 0.01
percent for antimony, bismuth, cadmium, lanthanum, thallium,
yttrium and zirconium; 0.1 percent for arsenic, cesium, lithium
and tungsten.
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
Table 1 presents the spectrographic estimation for 27 "trace
elements" in the tissues and organs usually sampled for all of
the calves expressed as parts per million of dry matter'. Table 2
presents a record of the "trace elements" in the organs and
tissues of the initial two calves, E 106 from a normal dam and
E 108 from a "salt sick" dam. Tables 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 give the
spectrographic estimation of the "trace elements" in the organs
and tissues of these same calves. These calves were considered
separately from the others because of the completeness of samp-
ling of tissues and organs.
The data are reported in range form to avoid misunderstand-
ing as to precision and to retain a legitimate basis for compari-
son. For example, 2-5 p.p.m. in the table means that the propor-
tion of the element lies between 2 and 5 parts per million on the
dry matter basis.
The term "trace" indicates that the element was present at
the borderline of the sensitivity of the spectrographic method.
From some tissues an insufficient supply of ash was available for
analysis after copper was determined so that it is not known
whether these ashes might have contained an element in ques-
tion.

'Appendix Tables I, II, III and IV give the fresh weights, percent-
age of dry matter and percentage of ash on the dry basis of the organs
and tissues of the newborn calves if it is desired to compute any of the
analyses on another basis.

"Trace Elements" in the Newborn Calf

EXPERIMNETAL METHOD
Four newborn calves were used in this study, three from
normal dams and one from a "salt sick" dam. The slaughter of
the animals, obtaining of the tissues and organs, and the pre-
paration of the ash is presented in a previous bulletin (27). Ex-
treme precautions against contamination with elements were ex-
ercised at all times.
The spectrographic method employed is described else-
where (28, 26). The tissues were analyzed for 27 "trace elements".
The approximate lower limits of detectability of the method are:
0.0001 percent for chromium, cobalt, nickel and silver; 0.001
percent for aluminum, barium, beryllium, boron, lead, manganese,
molybdenum, strontium, tin, titanium, vanadium and zinc; 0.01
percent for antimony, bismuth, cadmium, lanthanum, thallium,
yttrium and zirconium; 0.1 percent for arsenic, cesium, lithium
and tungsten.
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
Table 1 presents the spectrographic estimation for 27 "trace
elements" in the tissues and organs usually sampled for all of
the calves expressed as parts per million of dry matter'. Table 2
presents a record of the "trace elements" in the organs and
tissues of the initial two calves, E 106 from a normal dam and
E 108 from a "salt sick" dam. Tables 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 give the
spectrographic estimation of the "trace elements" in the organs
and tissues of these same calves. These calves were considered
separately from the others because of the completeness of samp-
ling of tissues and organs.
The data are reported in range form to avoid misunderstand-
ing as to precision and to retain a legitimate basis for compari-
son. For example, 2-5 p.p.m. in the table means that the propor-
tion of the element lies between 2 and 5 parts per million on the
dry matter basis.
The term "trace" indicates that the element was present at
the borderline of the sensitivity of the spectrographic method.
From some tissues an insufficient supply of ash was available for
analysis after copper was determined so that it is not known
whether these ashes might have contained an element in ques-
tion.

'Appendix Tables I, II, III and IV give the fresh weights, percent-
age of dry matter and percentage of ash on the dry basis of the organs
and tissues of the newborn calves if it is desired to compute any of the
analyses on another basis.

TABLE 1.-SPECTROGRAPHIC ESTIMATIONS FOR "TRACE ELEMENTS" (ALUMINUM AND BARIUM, BORON AND CHROMIUM) IN THE TISSUES
USUALLY SAMPLED OF NEWBORN CALVES EXPRESSED AS PARTS PER MILLION OF DRY MATTER.

TABLE 1.-SPECTROGRAPHIC ESTIMATIONS FOR "TRACE ELEMENTS" (COBALT AND LEAD, MANGANESE AND MOLYBDENUM) IN THE TISSUES
USUALLY SAMPLED OF NEWBORN CALVES EXPRESSED AS PARTS PER MILLION OF DRY MATTER-(Continued).

Of the 27 trace elements for which the various organs and
tissues in this study were analyzed, 15 were detected; namely:
aluminum, barium, boron, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese,
molybdenum, nickel, silver, strontium, tin, titanium, vanadium
and zinc. The following elements were not detected in any of
tissues or organs: antimony, arsenic, beryllium, bismuth, cesium,
cadmium, lanthanum, lithium, thallium, tungsten, yttrium, and
zirconium.
Aluminum.-This element was detected in the lungs, adre-
nals, gallbladder and bile, and blood of the four calves.
Aluminum was present in 38 of the 50 tissue samples of
the normal calf (E 106) and in 21 of the 45 tissues of the "salt
sick" calf (E 108). In this normal calf the range was from trace in
several tissues to 137-366 parts per million of dry matter in the
aqueous and vitreous humor. In the "salt sick" animal aluminum
ranged from 0.07 parts per million in the fat to 77 parts per mil-
lion of dry matter in the skin. It was present in normal thyroid,
adrenals, brain, testes, spinal cord and medulla, blood serum,
urine, tongue, pancreas, spleen, liver, rib, scapula and flesh, but
not in the similar tissues of the "salt sick" calf.
Gautier and Ricard (15) reported the presence of aluminum
in beef bile. This element was also found in the newborn calf
bile. Meunier (20) reported the presence of aluminum in adult

The higher content of aluminum in the few tissues which
Meunier analyzed might be attributed either to the fact that a
chemical method was used and there was thus chance for con-
tamination through reagents added, or to differences in sources
of animals.
Barium.-Barium was found in the rib of the four calves.
This element was detected in 32 normal tissues (Calf E 106)
and in 20 "salt sick" tissues (Calf E 108). It ranged from "trace"
in several tissues to 137-366 parts per million of dry matter in
the aqueous and vitreous humor of the eye of this normal calf,
and from 0.1-0.6 parts per million in the hair to 44-167 parts per
million in the tarsals of the "salt sick" animal. Barium was
found in the normal adrenals, brain, spinal cord and medulla,
gallbladder and bile, lung, spleen, red blood cell, whole blood,
liver, kidney, heart, pancreas, lung, spleen, thymus, aorta, blad-
der, esophagus, flesh and fat, but not in the corresponding "salt
sick" tissues. The largest concentration was found in the aqueous
and vitreous humor.
Ramage and Fox (25), in a spectrographic study of the min-
eral content of eyes, reported barium to be present in the cho-
roids of cattle eyes, 3 years old and up, but not in the choroids
of calves, humans, pigs, sheep, horses, dogs or fishes. They found
that the quantity of barium increased with the age of the animal
and stated that, "barium to our knowledge has not been previous-
ly detected in animal tissues."
In this study barium was found to be present in a great
many of the tissues, particularly in the aqueous and vitreous
humor of the eye and in the skeletal tissues of the normal calf
and in the skeletal structures and total eye of the "salt sick"

"Trace Elements" in the Newborn Calf

calf. Although barium was found in the aqueous and vitreous
humor, it was not detected in the cornea, retina and sclera, or
lens of the eye. The presence of this large amount of barium in
the fluid portion of the eye suggests some physiological func-
tion. Barium appears to be associated particularly with the skel-
etal tissues.
Boron.-Boron occurred in 17 normal (Calf E 106) and 13
"salt sick" (Calf E 108) tissues. It ranged from 0.5-2 parts per
million in the trachea to 88-177 parts per million in the urine of
this normal animal, and from 0.3-1 parts per million in the carti-
lage to 7-35 parts per million in the urine of the "salt sick" calf.
Boron was concentrated in the kidneys, urine, skull and jaw,
and rib of the normal calf but it was not detected in the skeletal
tissues of the "salt sick" calf.
Bertrand and Agulhon (3) reported the presence of boron in
various tissues of the ox.
Chromium.-Chromium was present in 17 normal (Calf
E 106) and 22 "salt sick" (Calf E 108) tissues. The element ranged
from "trace" in several tissues to 11-29 parts per million in the
hair of this normal calf and from 0.07 in the fat to 97-260 parts
per million in the esophagus of the "salt sick" animal. Chromium
was concentrated in the "salt sick" esophagus, eye and penis.
Cobalt.-This element was detected in 3 normal (Calf E 106)
and 16 "salt sick" (Calf E 108) tissues. Cobalt ranged from 0.3-1
parts per million in the skin of this normal calf, and from 0.1
in the hoof to 3-10 parts per million in the esophagus of the
"salt sick" calf. The presence of a large quantity of cobalt in
the skin of the normal calf is noteworthy.
Cobalt was also found in the pancreas, liver and spleen of
normal calf E 125 but not in any of these tissues of the other 3
calves.
Bertrand and Micheboeuf (7) reported cobalt in calf tissues
(age unknown). Their values were: liver 4.0, thymus 2.19, kid-
ney 0.69 and muscle 0.09 parts per million of dry matter. In this
study only the normal liver and the "salt sick" kidney contained
cobalt, 0.6 parts per million.
Lead.-This element was present in the liver, kidneys, pan-
creas, flesh and adrenals of the four calves. Lead was detected
in 30 normal (Calf E 106) and 23 "salt sick" (Calf E 108) tis-
sues. It ranged from "trace" in several tissues to 29-110 parts per
million in the hair of the normal calf, and from 0.5 parts per

Agricultural Experiment Station

million in the pancreas to 77 parts per million in the skin of the
"salt sick" animal. The large amount of lead in the hair of the
normal calf and in the skin of the "salt sick" calf is noteworthy.
It was present in normal thymus, aorta, lung, trachea, brain,
whole blood, gallbladder and bile, rib, vertebra, fore shaft bones
and scapula, but not in similar tissues of the "salt sick" calf.
On the other hand the following "salt sick" tissues contained
lead which was not found in the corresponding tissues of the
normal calf: pituitary, testes and esophagus.
Danchwortt and H6ll (12) reported the lead content of liver,
spleen, kidney and brain of cattle to average 0.25 milligrams per
1,000 grams of tissue. In cattle bones they found a higher lead
content.
Bertrand and Ciurea (4) reported lead in the following or-
gans and tissues of cattle:

Organ or Tissues Lead Content in Fresh Tissue
mg./kg.
Tongue mucus 2.83
Tongue 0.82
Brain 0.74
Small intestine 0.43
Skin 0.34
Kidney 0.32
Liver 0.32
Pancreas 0.28
Large intestine 0.16
Stomach 0.14
Lung 0.09
Spleen 0.08
Heart 0.06
Blood 0.05
In this study lead was not detected in the "salt sick" brain,
lung, blood or bone. In the normal calf lead was detected in many
of the bones but not in all of them.
The presence of lead in animal and human tissues has been
studied quite extensively because of its pharmacological or toxic
studied quite extensively because of its pharmacalogical or toxic
effect. A controversy has been waged among those who advo-
cate its presence in tissues and those workers who believe it is a
contaminant. Sheldon and Ramage (30) reported that, "its irre-
gular distribution strongly suggests that the metal (lead) is
present accidentally" in human tissues. Lead was found in one-
half of the normal newborn calf tissues, and therefore, so far
as this species is concerned, it is doubtful whether the presence
of this element is accidental.

"Trace Elements" in the Newborn Calf 33

Manganese.-Manganese was found in the liver, kidney,
pancreas, lung and spleen of the four calves. This element oc-
curred in practically all of the normal and "salt sick" tissues
with the exception of the skeletal tissues. Manganese was found
in 34 normal (E 106) and 31 "salt sick" (E 108) tissues. It oc-
curred from "trace" in blood serum to 11-29 parts per million in
the hair of this normal calf, and from 0.07-0.4 parts per million in
the fat to 32-163 parts per million in the esophagus of the "salt
sick" calf. Large amounts of manganese were found in the hair,
intestinal contents, small intestine, brain, rib and liver of the
normal calf, and in the esophagus, penis, eye, bladder and skin
of the "salt sick" calf. It was present in normal whole blood,
blood serum, thymus, gallbladder and bile, and rib, but not in
these "salt sick" tissues. On the other hand it was found in "salt
sick" bone marrow but not in the normal.
Gautier and Ricard (15) reported the presence of manganese
in beef bile.
In recent years the interest in manganese has centered about
its relationship to the prevention of perosis. However, its ab-
sence in the bones of the normal and "salt sick" calves is sur-
prising, since the sensitivity of the spectrographic method for
manganese is between 0.001 and 0.01 percent.
Molybdenum.-Molybdenum was detected in the liver, kid-
neys, pancreas, spleen and adrenals of the four calves. Molyb-
denum occurred in 23 normal (E 106) and in 13 "salt sick"
(E 108) tissues. It ranged from "trace" in the heart and small
intestine to 3-13 parts per million in the aqueous and vitreous
humor of this normal calf, and from 0.1 in the hoof to 7 parts
per million in the urine of the "salt sick" calf. The greatest con-
centration was found in the aqueous and vitreous humor, hoof,
intestine, kidney, gallbladder and bile, stomach and liver of the
normal calf, and in the urine and eye of the "salt sick" calf. It
was found in normal heart, red blood cell, aorta, brain, gall-
bladder and bile, cartilage and hair but not in the same "salt
sick" tissues.
Ferguson, Lewis and Watson (13) have recently reported
that lowering of milk yields, scouring, loss of condition and death
had occurred among cattle which grazed on certain pastures. It
was found that a higher amount of molybdenum was present
in the herbage on these pastures as compared with that on pas-
tures where such symptoms were absent in the cattle.
Nickel.-This element was detected in the adrenals of the

Agricultural Experiment Station

four calves. Nickel was present in 12 of the normal tissues (E
106) and in 20 of the "salt sick" (E 108) tissues. It ranged from
"trace" in red blood cells, stomach and fat to 4-14 parts per mil-
lion in aqueous and vitreous humor of this normal calf, and from
0.06-0.2 parts per million in fat to 26-97 parts per million in the
esophagus of the "salt sick" animal. It was found in the "salt
sick" thyroid, spinal cord and medulla, bladder, urine, tongue,
esophagus, small intestine and flesh but not in the corresponding
normal tissues. Normal liver, heart, pancreas, lung, spleen, thy-
mus and gallbladder and bile contained nickel, but not these
"salt sick" tissues.
Bertrand and Macheboeuf (6) reported nickel in a few calf
tissues (age unknown). Their values are: liver 0.54, thymus
0.057, kidney 0.037 and muscle 0.037 parts per million of dry
matter. In this study normal liver, thymus, kidney and muscle
contained nickel, the figures being slightly higher than those of
Bertrand and Macheboeuf.
Silver.-Silver was found in the adrenals of the four calves.
Silver was detected in 14 normal (E 106) and 20 "salt sick" (E 108)
tissues. It ranged from "trace" in several tissues to 0.7 parts per
million in the adrenals of this normal calf and from 0.07 parts
per million in the fat to 3 parts per million in the esophagus of the
"salt sick" calf. Silver was present in larger amounts in the
esophagus, skin and thymus of the "salt sick" calf. The presence
of silver in many of the "salt sick" tissues might indicate some
significance in the animal body. It was present in "salt sick"
thymus, testes, tongue, esophagus, spleen, cartilage, and skin but
not in these normal tissues. Normal stomach, small intetsine,
gallbladder and bile contained silver but the corresponding "salt
sick" tissues did not.

Strontium.-Strontium occurred in the rib of the four calves.
This element was present in 28 normal (E 106) and 22 "salt sick"
(E 108) tissues. The range was from "trace" in several tissues
to 4-14 parts per million in the rib of this normal animal, and
from 0.1 in the hoof to 44-167 parts per million in the tarsals of
the "salt sick" calf. The skeletal tissues were exceptionally high
in this element. Strontium was found in normal liver, kidney,
heart, pancreas, lung, spleen, thymus, red blood cells, aorta, urine,
stomach, adrenals, gallbladder and bile, flesh and fat, but not in
these "salt sick" tissues. The "salt sick" brain, esophagus and

"Trace Elements" in the Newborn Calf

large intestine contained strontium, but not the corresponding
normal tissues.
Tin.-Tin was detected in 9 normal (E 106) and 9 "salt sick"
(E 108) tissues. The amounts of tin ranged from "trace" in several
tissues to 0.5-2 parts per million in the trachea of this normal
animal and from 0.1 parts per million in the hoof to 8-38 parts
per million in the skin of the "salt sick" calf. Tin was present
in very few normal and "salt sick" tissues. It was found in nor-
mal thyroid, trachea, stomach, pancreas, spleen and large in-
testine but not in these "salt sick" tissues. On the other hand,
the "salt sick" thymus, spinal cord and medulla, esophagus and
skin contained tin but the corresponding normal tissues did not.
The skin of the "salt sick" calf contained the highest amount of
tin.
Bertrand and Ciurea (5) reported the following tissues and
organs of cattle to contain tin:

In this study only the "salt sick" skin, and normal large
intestine, pancreas, spleen and stomach showed the presence of
tin. It was not detected in any of the other newborn tissues re-
ported by Bertrand and Ciurea.
Titanium.-This element was found in very few of the nor-
mal and "salt sick" tissues. Titanium was detected in 7 normal
tissues (E 106) and in 6 "salt sick" (E 108) tissues. It ranged
from 0.2-0.6 parts per million in the normal skin to 73.6 parts
per million in normal hair and from 0.1-0.6 parts per million
in "salt sick" hoof to 12-58 parts per million in "salt sick" hair.
Titanium was not found in any of the tissues of the two addition-
al normal calves E 123 and E 125.

36 Agricultural Experiment Station

Bertrand and Voronca-Spirt (10) reported titanium in the
organs and tissues of a calf (age unknown). They found the
liver to contain 0.5 to 0.6 milligrams of titanium per kilogram of
fresh matter; heart, lung and kidney contained about 0.3 milli-
grams, and blood, muscle, brain and spinal cord contained too
little to give a positive test.
Vanadium.- Vanadium was detected in only two tissues
of the normal newborn calf (E 106), the stomach and hair. It is
possible that its presence may have been due to contamination
or the inadequacy of the method for this element.
Zinc.-For some of the tissues insufficient ash was avail-
able for analysis; however, zinc was found in every tissue ex-
amined. Zinc was present in 36 normal tissues and 43 "salt sick"
tissues. Zinc ranged from 0.08-2 parts per million in normal red
blood cell to 66-269 parts per million in the teeth of a normal
calf E 106, and from 7 parts per million in "salt sick" urine to
260-972 parts per million in the "salt sick" esophagus.
Fisher and Scott (14) reported bovine pancreas to contain
zinc. Their values are as follows:

They state that there is no relationship between age and
zinc content of the gland.
In this study the normal newborn pancreas contained 2.8-5.6
and 9.7-36.6 parts per million of zinc on the dry basis, while the
"salt sick" pancreas contained more than 53 parts per million.

DISCUSSION
It should be pointed out that although an element was not
detected in an ash it might still be present. The sensitivity of
the spectrographic method differs for the various trace ele-
ments and the element in question may be present below this
sensitivity.

"Trace Elements" in the Newborn Calf

Some of the elements which have been reported as not de-
tected in this study have been found in bovine tissues. Scott
and Canaga (29) have reported the presence of cesium in the
retina of cattle eyes. They state, "it is present in distinctly great-
er quantities than in other tissues and fluids of the body, as
in no case was it identified by similar or other methods except
in the retina."
Husband (17) reported 0.3 to 3.3 parts per million of arse-
nic in the abomasum wall from healthy normal cattle. Hove,
Elvehjem and Hart (16) state that, "there is still a great deal
of indecision as to whether it (arsenic) is merely accidental and
potentially contaminated (Boos and Werby, 1935) or a naturally
occurring component of living tissues (Chapman 1930)."
In this study arsenic was not detected in the normal or "salt
sick" newborn calves. Again it should be pointed out that the
term "not detected" does not mean that the element may not be
present. The lack of sensitivity of this spectrograpic method
may be the reason for its non-detection.
The regularity of occurrence of some of the trace elements-
aluminum, zinc, manganese, barium, lead and strotium-in cer-
tain organs and tissues suggests a possible physiological signifi-
cance. On the other hand, some of these elements were found
to occur sporadically. Those occurrences may have been acci-
dental due to contamination or due to the inadequacy of the
method being used and therefore their detection may not be
physiologically significant.
The elements arranged in decreasing number of occurrences
in the organs and tissues of the normal calf, E 106, are: aluminum,
zinc, manganese, barium, lead, strontium, molybdenum, chrom-
ium, boron, silver, nickel, tin, titanium, cobalt and vanadium.
For the "salt sick" calf, E 108, the order is: zinc, manganese, lead,
strontium, chromium, silver, aluminum, barium, nickel, cobalt,
molybdenum, boron, tin and titanium.
The trace elements, for which analyses were made in the
tissues and organs of the normal newborn calf and in the "salt
sick" newborn calf, showed no outstanding differences.
Neither were significant differences found in a comparison
of the values for the "trace elements" in wire grasses from
healthy and "salt sick" areas.
Conditions similar to "salt sick" with sheep and cattle known
in West Australia as "enzootic marasmus," in New Zealand as

Agricultural Experiment Station

"bush sickness", and in Scotland as "pine" or "vinquish", have
been encountered. In these places the condition has been pre-
vented or cured by the use of cobalt. It was found that the tis-
sues and organs of affected animals were lower in cobalt than
those of healthy animals (1, 32) and that there was less cobalt in
the soils and herbage of affected areas than those of correspond-
ing healthy areas (18, 2, 19, 32).
It is now established that cobalt is an indispensable element
(22) for the welfare of cattle on certain soil types in Florida. It
is generally recognized that this element appears to be concen-
trated in the pancreas of healthy animals (8, 9, 31). In this study
only normal calf E 125 contained cobalt in the pancreas. The
dam of this calf grazed on an area known definitely to be free of
"salt sick" upon which no mineral supplements have ever been
used. It is believed that this calf is as true a normal as can be
found in Florida. The other two normal calves, E 106 and E 123,
were obtained from the dairy herd of the Florida Agricultural
Experiment Station which had access to the mineral mixture
of NaCI, Fe203 and CuSO4. Perhaps these animals were on the
borderline of "salt sick" if the presence of cobalt in the pancreas
is a criterion of normality. However, since these calves were an-
alyzed at different intervals, this fact may not be significant.
It appears that in the newborn calf the concentration and
distribution of "trace elements" has little or no supplementary
significance to copper, iron and cobalt with regard to "salt sick".
Older animals should be analyzed and a comparison made. More
biological work is needed before an interpretation of the physio-
logical significance of an element in "salt sick" is made.
It is possible that not only the concentration of an element
in a tissue but its proportion to other elements may be a signifi-
cant factor in "salt sick".

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1. The tissues and organs of the three newborn calves from
normal dams and one newborn calf from a "salt sick" dam were
analyzed for trace elements by a spectrographic estimation.
2. Of the 27 trace elements for which the various organs
and tissues in this study were analyzed, 15 were detected, name-
ly: aluminum, barium, boron, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese,
molybdenum, nickel, silver, strontium, tin, titanium, vanadium
and zinc. The following elements were not detected in any of

"Trace Elements" in the Newborn Calf

the tissues or organs: arsenic, antimony, beryllium, bismuth,
cadmium, cesium, lanthanum, lithium, thorium, tungsten, yttri-
um, and zirconium.
Zinc was found in all of the tissues and organs which were
examined; aluminum and manganese were detected in practical-
ly all of the tissues; barium, lead, molybdenum and strontium
in about one-half of the tissues; nickel and silver in about one-
third and boron, chromium, tin, titanium, cobalt and vanadium
were found sporadically.
A comparison of the distribution and concentration of trace
elements in the tissues and organs of newborn calves from normal
and from "salt sick" dams showed no significant differences.